A Little Princess

The first thing that struck us about A Little Princess was the amount of work that had gone into the production. This was especially true for the show’s director. Lyn Pelgrave must’ve been very talented at multi-tasking.

There were so many young people – some clearly primary school aged – in the cast of 27. Many had multiple characters to play. Anyone who has had any experience in such productions would know the hectic backstage costume changes that would have been occurring behind the scenes.

There was such a long script for the cast to commit to memory along with a myriad scene changes. Then there was the small orchestra backing the cast in performing a song for every plot point and a song for a few minor plot points too. Merely sorting out a rehearsal schedule for a show of that size would have been a challenge.

Any theatre company that puts that much love into a show ought to be applauded. So how much leeway should be given to an amateur production made with such passion? While A Little Princess wasn’t horrendous, it wasn’t without fault either.

There were problems with pitch for some of the musicians and singers right from the get-go. While they were not always on the right note, the performers gave it their all. Everyone was very well rehearsed and thought had gone into the blocking. Yet there were several occasions during which important moments occurred with the actors in darkness. The lighting cues were picked up in a timely fashion so it wasn’t clear if the actors or the direction was to blame.

There were some technical problems with the head-worn mics. Sometimes there was a delay between when a performer started speaking or singing and when the mic started to work. At other times microphones didn’t work at all. Even when working, there were times when the volume of the music drowned out the amplified vocals.

It was fabulous to see such diversity in the casting of the ensemble. Stand-out performances were delivered by Janice Hancock as Miss Minchin, Brooke Spencer as Lavinia, Beth Hedt as a delightful Queen Victoria and Sienna Alesana as Lottie gave an acting performance that showed a maturity beyond her years.

There were dozens of set and scene changes. All of them were handled very smoothly and quickly. The set design, construction and painting was outstanding.  

The costuming was excellent. It was location and period appropriate. Choreography by Izzy Smith was a highlight and the cast did well to execute the moves and work in unison with each other and the music.

While there were some areas for improvement in A Little Princess it was a gallant effort from a dedicated amateur theatre group that clearly puts a lot of time, determination and love into their shows.

Kiesten McCauley

Images: David Harrison - Turn it up Photography